A/N: All Trigger Warnings Apply. This was really hard to write, and I'm really sorry if this chapter means you cannot continue the story. After this chapter most triggers are only brief mentions. Please don't read if any trigger warnings apply.Love to anyone who has experienced this.

Kick Me by Sleeping With Sirens

Chapter 4: Kick Me (When I'm Down)

"Leave me alone!" Santana struggles to get away from the grasp of two football players while a cheerleader approaches her. She feels the slap before it even hits her face. The force slams her head to the side, and she can't help as silent tears begin to stream down her face.

"Stop crying you stupid little bitch!" the cheerleader yells, slapping her other cheek. She hears the jocks holding her back grunt happily at the pain. Disgusting. "This'll teach you to mess with the social structure at this school. Britt's too good for you." the football players drop her and her knees give out as the girl lands a kick to her shins. "Girls!" she calls out and her posee comes strutting over. With a final kick to the girls head, the HBIC walks away, the two jocks on her arm. The last thing Santana hears is "Fix her" yelled at the squad surrounding her.

When Santana wakes up, she's lying in the nurse's office, and she can just barely make out the shadow of someone sitting on a stool nearby "What happened?" her voice is raw and scratchy.

"Thank God you're awake!" Brittany sniffles "They were so cruel Santana they-"

"That's enough Ms.Pierce, don't traumatize her with a retelling." the nurse says.

"Everything is blurry" Santana mumbles.

"Your contacts are ruined, do you have glasses?" the nurse asks.

"Backpack" Santana groans, as pain slowly starts to register.

"Here" the nurse hands her glasses, helps her sit up and gives her some Advil "Your aunt will be here to get you soon. Ms.Pierce, you really should go back to class." the nurse walks to the smaller part of the office, leaving the girls alone.

"Don't leave." Santana mumbles, grasping for Brittanys hand "Tell me what happened."

"They wrote slurs all over you, took off all your clothes and they...they stuck a….they" Brittany's voice breaks.

"I get the picture Britt." Santana shifts trying to relieve the pain.

"Moving only makes it worse." Brittany warns, and Santana nods, grimacing

"Did you find me?" Santana asks and Brittany nods.

"I saw a huge crowd gathered and wanted to see the fuss, and when I saw you, I pushed them all off before carrying you here." The blonde shrugs "I wish I could've stopped them. Sue told me she had to suspend Cheerios until

further notice since they all got in huge trouble." Britrany squeezes Santana's hand "You must have been so scared."

"Keep looking down on me

I am more than you'll ever be

Cut me deep but I won't bleed

Gonna kick, kick

Kick me when I'm down" Santana softly sings.

"Sleeping With Sirens" Brittany shakes her head "you're amazing."

Santana smiles, and Brittany let's her sleep. When Santana's aunt gets there, she has a note to bring Brittany with her, and leads the two girls out to her car.

"Okay girls, let's get you home." She sighs. Brittany sits with Santana leaning on her in the backseat, her eyes meeting Tia Lopez's in the rear view. Santana's warm breath comes out in short puffs, tickling the short peach fuzz on the back of her neck. "What happened?" Tia Lopez asks. Brittany snaps her head up.

"Huh?" she receives a pointed look in the mirror "Oh, well, I was running late to school, and I told Santana to wait outside for me, I thought she'd wait by the tree, but I guess she waited out front." Brittany rambles on before nothing Tia Lopez's impatience "Right. Sorry. I don't know EVERYTHING. But I assume it was instigated by Q. I mean Quinn. Quinn Fabray. She's the captain of the Cheerios and the not-official girlfriend of Puckerman and the official girlfriend of Finn. But you don't care about high school politics. I beat up Puck though so it is kind of important" Brittany shrugs, taking a moment to brush some of Santana flyaways behind her ear before taking a deep breath. "From what I gathered from one of the freshman Cheerios who had merely stood by watching, probably for me, two jocks held her while Quinn landed a few punches. Then I guess Quinn kicked her in the head so her lackeys could make things worse. When I got there they-" Brittany swallows trying to continue "they had uh" she gulps "well stripped her? And of course lots of guys had gathered. And they uh" Brittanys eyes cloud with tears that fall freely, splashing on Santana's face, waking the sleeping girl.

"No me gusta Tia" she grumbles wiping away the water before she registers the whimpers coming from the blonde coming from above her. "Oh, no Britty, no llores, don't cry, te amo". Brittanys tears stop at the proclamation of love. Santana blushes dark and shakes her head at the surprise in the blue eyes above her and the brown eyes in the front seat. "Darling why are you crying?" Santana says after the tension melts a bit "Tia what'd you do?"

"Santanita I knew you wouldn't tell me what happened so I asked your friend." she explains dryly and Santana shrugs innocently. "But she didn't get to finish." Tia Lopez pulls into the driveway but doesn't turn the car off "Would you like to finish?" she says looking over her shoulder.

"You don't have to Britt it's fine the school can always explain you shouldn't have to I mean it's so traumatizing and-" Santana watches as Brittany smiles softly, wiping her eyes.

"Calmate. I would like to go inside first please, if that alright ma'am." Brittany says, never taking her eyes off Santana who looks like she wants to protest.

"Of course, mi casa es tu casa." the older Latina turns the car off and ushers the girls to the couch while she grabs water and ice for Santana. She returns, putting a heating pad under Santana's lower back and a bag of peas over her swollen eye. Santana hums contentedly, and after drinking an entire glass of water, Brittany finally looks from her place on the couch to the woman sitting across from her in a lounger.

"They wrote slurs all over her body. I'd rather not repeat those." Brittany looks up receiving an accepting nod "And they uh, well they held her down and um"

"Was a boy involved?" Tia- Ali (Aliana) she'd introduced herself finally- became very serious. Santana's eyes widen- Brittany hadn't said a boy wasn't involved. Could it have been both?

"Well, uh, yes?" Both Latinas gasped "But he used a um, you know, uh prosthetic?" Brittany bargained that was a fitting word as her anxiety began to overcome her "Because of course if a girl used it it would be wrong and so they had Karofsky do it, cause I guess he needed to prove his manliness and I don't know I got there and Karofsky ran like the wimp he is and the Cheerio's scattered and she was bleeding and I just wanted to hold her but I had to get help and luckily Kurt had just arrived and was horrified and I was crying and Santana wasn't moving and I was so scared and I thought she was-" Santana sits up and hugs Brittany, still rambling in a hug as Ali watches on horrified she may have done something terribly wrong. "Was that a pulse I didn't know I could never do it in cheerios sue let me cheat with a fit bit but I lost it so I couldn't put it on her and I thought she was breathing but I couldn't hear over my own tears" fresh tears run freely from crestfallen blue eyes "I just don't understand why and what if I hadn't shown up when I did and why didn't anyone stop it and I...I...I" Brittanys breathing has turn to hyperventilation and at this Ali dials Susan Pierces number as the girl looks around nervously and slips from the couch to ground, muffling her cries with her knee.

"TIA she's having an anxiety attack! Help her!" Santana tries to sit up to help, but the pain meds aren't working and she's in her own paralyzing pain .

"Calmate Santanita!" Tia Ali says, as she listens carefully to Susan Pierce, retrieving Brittanys bag and rifling through it before pulling out the inhaler. She follows the instructions carefully, and with shaking hands manages to help the girl use it. Brittany sits there, stock still for a few minutes, and finally lets out a whimper. She thinks something else happened. Something with Puckerman.

"I think something happened before Karofsky" she breathes out shakily, and she hears the sharp intake of breath. But considering Santana is in more pain than Karofsky would have been capable of inflicting: David was a closeted gay man himself, and while he took that out on Kurt, Brittnay doubts he envied Santana who was supposed to be closeted as well.

"Did the school…" Tia Ali starts to question and Brittany nods.

"The cops had to follow protocol. I'm sorry I didn't protect Santana." Brittany stands "I could've done more."

"Britt, please don't" Santana grabs the girls hand "Te amo".

"Really?"

"Yes, I knew the day I met you. I love you."

"I love you too" Brittany plants a gentle kiss to the girls lips "Now get some rest. I promise I'm okay and I won't leave without saying goodbye." Santana nods in response and quickly drifts off as Ali pulls the Afghan over her niece. She takes Brittany to the kitchen and offers her a snack or drink. Brittany declines food, but is presented a cookie with her hot chocolate anyway.

"I know you're probably sick to your stomach with worry and nauseous from your attack but your mother said you should eat a sweet. So eat." Ali says, nursing a mug of herbal tea.

"Gracias" Brittany takes a bite of the cookie and her eyes light up. It's a really good cookie, and the hot chocolate is some of the best she's had. It's almost as good as the cocoa her mom makes her birthday. "Muy bien"

"Si. Santanita is a great baker. And thats her cocoa recipe. She decided Mexican Hot Chocolate needed a little help." Ali smirks when Brittany's eyes light up at the new information.

"Can you tell me more about San or does that break Tia rules?" Brittany doesn't want to upset Santana by digging for information.

"Santanita is very private. I'm not privvy to much, but her eyes are brighter now that she's met you. I think you should let Santana show you her room, she'll be much more comfortable in her bed, and I gather most my information from her blaring radio anyway." Ali laughs softly. Brittany nods solemnly and with Alis help, gets Santana up the stairs and into bed painlessly.